Ordre des Repas Exotiques
Alignment: Any. Symbol: A pair of chef’s knives, crossed over a campfire. Disciplines: Steel Serpent. Oath: Joining the Ordre des Repas Exotiques is deceptively simple. A potential recruit is asked to prove their courage by hunting a mighty beast or monster, and then prove the worth of their art by cooking it. Fail to slay the beast, or please the Chefs, and the recruit is told to try again next year. Those whose dish passes muster are asked to swear the following oath to their fellow Chefs. “I swear to be a true and faithful artist—to never compromise my vision because of petty traditions or banalities, and to accept and learn from the mistakes I place on the plate. I will not waste the beasts I hunt, nor tarnish the names of my fellow Chefs without just cause, and may my faithless tongue choke my unworthy throat if I am false.” Allegiance Benefit: A Chef of the Ordre des Repas Exotiques gains a +2 insight bonus on Knowledge checks made to identify creatures, and can make such checks untrained. In addition, the Chef is immune to the effects of ingested poisons, and cannot contract diseases by eating or drinking tainted faire (she may still contract diseases in other ways). A Chef that violates her oath (such as by falsely slandering one of her fellows in the Ordre) loses these benefits (but not access to the Steel Serpent discipline) until she atones by hosting a grand feast worth 500gp per character level for her fellow Chefs, or by hunting and cooking a creature with a CR equal to or greater than her character level. Description: The warrior-chefs of the Ordre des Repas Exotiques consider themselves artists without peer. Ambition drives them to seek out legendary monsters and otherworldly horrors as tests of their might, and to prepare such beasts as culinary delights not known in this world or any other. Each challenges her peers to outdo their latest accomplishment, and together they spread through the world looking to immortalize their name on a plate. The Chefs of the Ordre des Repas Exotiques work with a fervor that borders on insanity. Each looks to push the limits of cooking into new and exciting places, and to push their own personal limits against tougher challenges, mightier foes, and deadlier hunts. They join forces with adventuring parties to hone their craft and to experiment with their dishes with a live audience, and to immortalize their names as warriors. Some members are recruited as apprentice chefs (or warriors) with potential, while others are invited in recognition of their skills, but all are selected for their artistic drive. Surprising many who hear of them, the Chefs of the Ordre des Repas Exotiques tend to approach their battles like assassins or hunters, because a quick, clean kill leaves more of the monster (be it flesh, vegetable, or something stranger) to be used in cooking. This is also the reason they have learned to favor the Steel Serpent discipline; its psuedo-poisons do not taint the meat, but provide a quick, painless kill that is merciful to the beast. It is a grave sin against the laws of the Ordre des Repas Exotiques to let a kill go to waste, and all parts of their enemies are used either in cooking or to, in some way, better the world. Indeed, it is common practice for a fallen Chef that cannot be resurrected to be buried with a fruit tree planted in their body so that they might continue to feed the world. As cooks and hosts themselves, most Chefs have a keen respect for the laws of hospitality and are quick to step up and defend their hosts, or guests, from attack or dishonor. As may be expected, the Ordre des Repas Exotiques has a dark reputation amongst sapient monsters. While some of its Chefs would never consume a sapient being, many disagree; even good-aligned chefs might cook a naga they have slain, either to honor its valor or so that its death does not entail senseless waste. Conflicts between the Chefs of the Ordre and such monsters can be especially desperate and savage, and there is little love lost between either side. Curiously, monsters already in the habit of consuming sapient beings—such as dragons—are more sanguine about the entire affair, and are less concerned with the potential fate of their corpse. The Chefs, after all, will not defile it with undeath or other atrocities. Common Tasks: The Ordre des Repas Exotiques may rope its Chefs into helping prepare a grand feast, agree to slay a mighty monster, or retrieve a legendary (or even magical) recipe. Additionally, a Chef may be asked to gather exotic ingredients for allied alchemists, or to test a new formula in the field. These tests do not always end well. Available Services: The Ordre des Repas Exotiques maintains relations with cutting-edge suppliers of weapons, and equipment around. Because its members are nomadic, they often do not have their own kitchens, and the Ordre des Repas Exotiques maintains ties with inns, restaurants, and houses of hospitality the world over in order to secure facilities for its members. Thanks to advantageous contacts and lucky recruitments, a Chef can also seek advice from world-class monster hunters and alchemists, many of whom will offer discounts to the warrior-chefs.